Stolen Car Full of Stolen Kohl’s Goods Crashes into Pole, Takes Out Loleta Power

On 11-16-2012 at about 10:36 am, an officer with the Eureka Police Department met with the victim of a vehicle theft. A report was taken regarding the victim’s Volkswagen Passat.

At about 3:17 pm, officers were dispatched to the Bayshore Mall for a reported theft that had just occurred. A male suspect had stolen property from Kohl’s and fled the scene in a Volkswagen Passat. The vehicle was last seen traveling southbound on Broadway.

As the vehicle fled, Security personnel were able to obtain its license plate number. A records check of the license plate revealed that it was the vehicle stolen earlier in the day.

Officers searched the area, but were unable to locate the vehicle. Officers reviewed security footage of the theft and were able to identify the suspect as Marcos Antonio Gamez (36 years old of Eureka).

At about 4:09 pm, officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to a single car traffic collision on Singley Hill Road in Loleta. A vehicle had impacted a power pole and driven off the embankment. CHP officers arrived on scene to find the involved vehicle to be the stolen Volkswagen Passat. CHP officers also located Gamez at the scene and took him into custody.

An officer of the Eureka Police Department responded to the scene and confirmed the identification of Gamez as the suspect in the security footage of the Kohl’s incident. Items taken from the theft at Kohl’s were also located in the Volkswagen Passat.

Gamez was soon booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of stolen property, petty theft, vehicle theft, driving under the influence, driving while suspended, probation violation, and parole violation. Gamez is not eligible for bail due to his parole status.

This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information regarding this matter is urged to contact Officer Aubuchon at 707-441-4060.